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				<h1>About FinalsClub.org</h1>
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			    <h2>From Andrew Magliozzi, Co-Founder</h2>
			    <p>If you are reading this, you likely have one question in mind: What's up with this site?   Based on the subtle "About" link you followed here, it would seem that someone claims to have an answer.  For the time being, that someone is me, the site's founder.  I don't, however, have all the answers.  Over the past three years, I've done a lot of thinking about collaborative learning, the Internet, and this website, but I do not wish to impose all of my preconceptions on you.  While I will share the vision that inspired this project, I defer to you to complete—or better, to improve upon—what I've started.</p>
			    <h2>The Inspiration</h2>
			    <p>I have been a tutor since I was fourteen years old.  I have taught every conceivable demographic from prep schoolers to juvenile prisoners.  Sometimes I have been paid; other times I've volunteered.  In short, I love teaching and I feel that a certain level of education should be free to everyone.  As a result, I have always balanced my paid and pro bono work.</p>
			    <p>After starting a boutique tutoring firm, <a href="http://www.veritutors.com/" alt="Veritas Tutors">Veritas Tutors</a>, in 2005, I soon decided to increase my commitment to public education in accord with the growth of my company.  With my mornings generally free, I also seized the opportunity to audit a number of classes on the Harvard campus.</p>
			    <p>Loitering in the back of lecture halls with the other intellectual ne'er-do-wells of Harvard Square, I realized my flexible schedule and geographic proximity alone afforded me the privilege of world-class academic enrichment.  I also thought, “Why shouldn't those less free to indulge in leisurely midday contemplation be afforded the same opportunity?”</P>
			    <p>Soon after that epiphany, my first academic blog, based on “The Art and Thought of the Cold War,” was published on a homebrewed website in the Fall of 2005.  After each lecture, I would scurry to a coffee shop to organize, summarize, and analyze what I'd learned.  Even though my readership was minimal, the process of learning without the burden of exams or papers was fantastic.  That is, until the professor learned of my actions and demanded that I cease writing and remove the blog from public view.  Shocked and disappointed, I complied.  I also resolved to revive the project at some point in the future. </p>
			    <p>Two years of contemplation later, the first version of this website launched with four annotated books and five course blogs, which I took care to edit and pre-approve with a combination of diplomacy and obeisance to each professor.  With relative success on and off campus, I have continued efforts to expand the site into the collaborative learning environment that currently exists. </p>
			    <h2>The State of FinalsClub.org </h2>
			    <p>This site is straightforward.  Its three fundamental features involve annotations, courses, and groups with all information shared under a Creative Commons Copyright in compliance with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.</p>
			    <p>Specifically, annotations constitute observations a great tutor would make if you read a book side-by-side.  Courses involve lecture-by-lecture op-eds written by enrolled students.  Finally, groups are forums for organizing, collaborating, and sharing knowledge garnered inside or outside the ivory tower of academia.</p>
			    <p>Thanks to several intrepid scholars, the site already includes ample content to read, contemplate, and augment.  If you are a student at one of our participating universities, you have benefited or likely will benefit from this existing content.  In exchange, I simply ask you to contribute in kind.</p>
			    <p>If you like what you read, vote it up; if you have a relevant comment, post it; and if you have the opportunity, join or create a study group to share your coursework with the world. </p>
			    <h2>The Future of FinalsClub.org </h2>
			    <p>Until now, I have been responsible for everything that appears on the website.  I have engaged, edited, and overseen the creation of all technology and content.  However, the success of this site has nothing to do with past accomplishments or future innovation.  Rather, the success of this site depends on you, readers and contributors, and your commitment to academic openness.  I have created the forum and crafted examples, but you must determine the rest. </p>
			    <p>Students, teachers, and curious minds the world over have already found this site to be invaluable.  Moreover, people are beginning to recognize that educational equality and open access to information constitute two of the Internet's greatest (and yet unrealized) promises.  With a widespread effort, we can forever alter the landscape of education.   </p>
			    <p>For now, I've done my small part; the rest is up to you. </p>
			    
			    <p><em>Optimistically yours,</em>
			    <p>Andrew Magliozzi<br/>Founder<br/>FinalsClub.org</p>
				
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